


we have scars to cover

by ohmcgee



Series: ohmcgee's mallverse [45]
Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Retail, M/M, gen - Freeform, mallverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-22 22:31:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8303623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmcgee/pseuds/ohmcgee
Summary: “So, that was Bruce,” Jay says to Harvey when he gets off the phone. “He’s not gonna make it tonight.”or Jay and Harvey hang out.





	

“Oh hey,” Jason says when he answers the door, Titus at his feet and Prince in his arms. “Shocker of shocks, Bruce is running late, but come on in.”

Bruce called Harvey a few days ago asking if he wanted to come over and play together once a week, but some emergency had happened at work around two and he was still running around handling shit at the office.

“Yeah that’s fine,” Harvey says, hands in his pockets as he walks through the door. He’s still on suspension from work so he’s just wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Jay can tell he hasn’t slept much from the dark circles and bags under his eyes and worries about how much thinner Harvey looks since the last time he saw him. 

“I just made some muffins,” Jay says, setting Prince down to go chase after Titus. “Double chocolate chip. You want?”

“While that sounds good,” Harvey says, looking at the muffin suspiciously when he picks it up. “I wouldn’t blame you at all if you were trying to poison me.”

“Eat it or don’t,” Jay smirks and shrugs, then offers Harvey a beer from the fridge.

“Seriously kid,” Harvey says. “Why aren’t you trying to pummel me? You’re throwing me all off here.”

‘You’re right,” Jay says, twisting the cap off his own beer and sitting down at the kitchen table. “You were a grade A asshole to me. And to Bruce, from what I hear. I probably shouldn’t be this nice to you.”

“But?” Harvey asks, sitting across from him.

“I don’t know,” Jason shrugs and takes a pull from his beer. “You’re Bruce’s friend.”

“It’s really more complicated than that, kid.”

“One,” Jay says. “You call me kid one more time and we will have a problem. Two -- everything’s complicated, man. I’m not going anywhere. That’s all you need to know.”

“Apparently neither am I,” Harvey says, staring into the mouth of his beer bottle.

“Okay then,” Jay says, tilting his bottle toward Harvey and their bottles clink together at the same time as Bruce walks in the door. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Bruce says, heading straight for Jay and kissing him on the neck. 

“No problem,” Jay says, giving Harvey a look before getting up and saying, “You guys have fun,” and heading upstairs. 

 

: : :

 

After that, Bruce and Harvey end up getting together every Tuesday night at first, then adding in a Saturday night when Bruce and Jay don’t already have plans. Bruce is usually home and has eaten dinner already by the time Harvey comes by and they’ll all chat for a few minutes before Bruce and Harvey head out to the garage to play. Jay usually goes upstairs and reads or goes out with Dick, just letting them have that time to themselves to catch up and hang out. 

This Tuesday Harvey’s sitting at the kitchen table drinking another beer when Bruce calls and says he’s just not going to make it that night. There’s some client threatening to back out of a deal or something -- Jason honestly doesn’t even know what he’s talking about half the time, but either way Bruce is going to be there until at least ten.

“So, that was Bruce,” Jay says to Harvey when he gets off the phone. “He’s not gonna make it tonight.”

He doesn’t miss the disappointment drawing Harvey’s face down or the way he starts absent-mindedly bouncing his leg under the table. Jay understands that these sessions he and Bruce have been having are almost like therapy for him, or at least a way to escape, and it almost makes him mad at Bruce for taking it away from him tonight. 

“Hey listen,” Jay says, improvising. “I didn’t make anything tonight, we were just gonna have leftovers but I’m not really feeling it. You wanna grab a bite with me?”

Harvey looks up and raises his eyebrow at him. “Where?”

“I dunno,” Jay says. “I was kinda...have you ever been to Patty’s?”

Harvey almost chokes on his beer. “Patty’s Diner? In Crown Pointe? Are you fuckin’ kidding me?”

“God,” Jay says, touching his stomach and groaning a little. “I’ve been craving one of those greasy Patty melts for weeks, man.”

“Shit,” Harvey murmurs. “I haven’t eaten there in forever.”

“Well come on then,” Jay says, grinning as he grabs the keys off the bar. “Let’s go.”

 

: : :

 

“You’re kidding me,” Harvey laughs, leaning against the back of the booth as he picks up another chili cheese fry and brings it to his mouth. “That woman was _awful._ ”

“Nope,” Jay grins. “Miss Patty loved me, man. Called me her little angel.”

“Had to have been body snatched then,” Harvey says, still laughing. “I worked here when I was a teenager and that woman hated kids. Told everyone who came in here she hated them too. I don’t actually know why people brought their kids in here, come to think of it.”

“Because they had the best fuckin’ chili dogs in Gotham, that’s why,” Jay laughs. “But no really, she was always really nice to me. I think it’s cuz I beat the shit out of the little punk who graffit’d her windows that one time.”

“Christ,” Harvey says. “I was a punk and I don’t think even I woulda had the balls to tag Miss Patty’s. That old bat scared the beejesus out of me.”

They laugh and talk until Miss Patty’s niece, Delilah, brings them their tickets and thanks them for coming in. She’s much nicer than Miss Patty ever was they both decide. 

On the car ride home Harvey drums his fingers on the dash, bounces his leg until Bruce’s car is actually shaking at the redlight. 

“It’s cool,” Jay says, trying to fill the silence. “You know, having someone to talk about that shit with.”

“Yeah,” Harvey chuckles. “Bruce tries, the poor bastard, but he can’t exactly relate, no.”

“It’s bizarre,” Jay adds. “The house. The butler. I feel like --”

“A guest in some fancy hotel, right?” Harvey finishes for him. “I tried to tip Alfred once.”

“Shut up,” Jay laughs. “I just can’t let him do things when I’m there. I can’t do it. He gets mad at me for doing my own dishes, but it’s just built in me.”

“Yeah,” Harvey says as they pull up in the driveway. “I never really got used to that either.’

“Listen,” Jay says when they get out of the car. “You can hang around as long as you like, wait for Bruce to get home.”

“Nah,” Harvey says. “No telling how long he’ll be. When he’s deep in a project --”

“He won’t stop until he’s finished,” Jay says, smiling. “Yeah. I’m getting that.”

“Anyway,” Harvey says. “Thanks for the dinner. And the talk. You’re a good kid, Jason. I’’m...yeah, I’m really glad Bruce has you.”

“Not to make this any fluffier than it already is,” Jay smirks. “But I’m glad he has you too. This whole time we’ve been together you’re the first friend of his I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah,” Harvey says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Bruce never was much of a social butterfly.”

“And I know it’s complicated between you two,” Jay continues. “But I think...I think he needs you too, Harvey.”

“On that note,” Harvey laughs nervously. “I’m gonna get out of here. Tell Bruce he better not miss Saturday night or I’ll kick his ass.”

“You got it,” Jay says, grinning as he watches Harvey get into his jag.

 

: : :

 

Jay’s already in bed when Bruce gets home later that night. It’s almost midnight by the time he showers and crawls into bed behind Jay, wraps his arms around him and presses his lips to Jay’s bare shoulder. 

“What did you do tonight?” He asks. 

“I hung out with Harvey,” Jay says, putting his book on the nightstand and turning to face Bruce, to see his expression. 

“You did?” Bruce asks, eyebrow raised, dropping his hand down to Jason’s waist. 

“Mmhmm,” Jay says. “We went to this little diner in North Gotham, talked a bunch. I really like him. Is that weird?”

Bruce doesn’t say anything, just cups Jay’s face and kisses his lips, licks into Jay’s mouth and kisses him softly, but deeply until they’re both out of breath. “I think,” Bruce says, pressing their foreheads together. “That you never cease to amaze me. I think that I love you so much that I’ll never be able to put it in words.”

“Oh,” Jay says, blushing all the way down his neck. “Well,” he takes Bruce’s hand and drags it down to his dick. “You could always show me.”

Bruce just grins and moves down between Jason’s legs. “Always that.”


End file.
